Still Guiding

If you are at all active on social media you have likely seen the video of a sheep that appears to be stuck in a trench along the side of the road. I don’t know if the man rescuing this sheep is a shepherd, or simply a good Samaritan passing by, but he pulls the sheep out of the trench. The sheep then runs twenty or so feet along the trench before it exuberantly jumps back in.

In Jeremiah chapter 15, God, through his prophet, is calling the people of Israel to repentance. This is certainly not the first such exhortation from God and it is not the last. The Lord laments that his people have turned away from him and put their faith in other gods. God’s people, throughout history, have been like a sheep repeatedly jumping in a trench after they have been rescued. Instead of giving up, however, the Lord gives his people a promise, “Return, O faithless children, declares the Lord; for I am your master; I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.”

Jeremiah was one such shepherd that God sent to his people to feed them knowledge and understanding. Despite the truth Jeremiah proclaimed Israel continued in sin. So the Lord continued to send shepherds, faithful men and women to guide his people and to proclaim the truth of his word.

You would think after centuries of pulling sheep out of ditches that the Lord would just give up. Find or create new people who would be faithful to him alone, but that was not his plan. Instead the Lord sent one perfect shepherd, The Good Shepherd to feed his people with that eternal knowledge and understanding. Jesus Christ came into the world and not only pulled the sheep out of the trench, but he stayed with his sheep, walking alongside them so that they would no longer get stuck.

God still sends us shepherds. He gives faithful parents, teachers, pastors, and friends to guide his people and to point them to The Good Shepherd. We still attempt to jump into that trench, but The Good Shepherd is right there beside us to catch us and to continue to guide us on the correct path.

We Pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for sending us shepherds to guide us and point us to The Good Shepherd. We sin daily, yet you continue to pull us out of that trench. Be with us every day of our lives as we seek to follow The Good Shepherd. Amen.